TLoS: Dawn of the Heroes
by NITRO PSYCHO
Summary: Part 3/3. After being frozen in time, Spyro, Johnny, and Cynder set out to stop the Dark Master for good
1. prologue

**What up peoplezez**

**Though I was originally intending to do this after a Dragon's Soul was finished, numerous requests for me to start this one have gotten so annoying so that to shut them up, I'm starting it now.**

**I do not own anything related to Spyro; I do own Johnny and this story**

_Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope. But sometimes fear clouds our vision. Sometimes our strength gives out_

_And yet sometimes, when all seems lost, a light shines through the darkness, and we are reminded that even the smallest amount of courage can turn the tides of war._

Hunter had been following dead end leads for the past few weeks now. Ever since the mysterious disappearance of Spyro and his friends, he had been searching for them at the request of Ignitus. So far he had been following one unsuccessful tip-off after another for years and so far, the Dark Master has had plenty of time to spread his wrath upon the world.

Then, when all hope seemed lost, a note brought to him by a falcon told him about a mass of Grublins stationed at the remains of the Mountain of Shadows, the last place Spyro and his friends were rumored to be at before they went missing. As much as he was hoping for a solid lead, Hunter was concerned that it would lead him to nowhere again. Add to that the fact that Grublins weren't exactly the nicest things you'd want to meet and this little excursion meant that he'd be lucky to get out of there in one piece, let alone with two dragons, a firefly, and a human with superpowers.

Yet, despite the risk, Hunter decided to head there anyway. It was too big an opportunity to pass up. If he was able to find Spyro, Cynder, and Johnny, then their strength would be able to mark a turning point in the war.

However, getting through the mountain was no easy task. There were so many forces occupying the mountain that he was forced to stick to the shadows. Luckily a group of Grublins carrying a chest caught his attention, so he followed them into an area of the mountain that wasn't as populated. After a while, they stopped at some sort of golden crystal. There were some sort of shapes inside it, but they were too far away for Hunter to make out properly. Then one of the Grublins stepped forward and hit the crystal with a mace.

Suddenly, the entire crystal lit up in a bright light. Hunter has to shield his eyes to still be able to see. While he was doing this, he heard what appeared to be voices shouting.

"Spyro, stop!"

"We're not leaving without you!"

"Get close to me! Now!"

After a while, the light died down, revealing three figures passed out on the ground. The Grublins then opened the chest and pulled out three snake like objects, wrapping each one around their necks. They then carried them down the hallway, unaware of the cheetah lurking in the hallway.

With a sigh, Hunter turned back to the hallway. A light was still glowing over by the remains of the crystals. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a dragonfly, and it was slowly regaining consciousness. Making sure there were Grublins in sight, Hunter walked over and picked him up, making sure it wasn't harmed in any way.

**Hmm… good start**

**For those of you who are reading this and aren't following, read the previous two stories so that it'll make sense**

**R&R, plz**

**NITRO PSYCHO OUT!**


	2. a Giant Problem

**What up peoplezez**

**Sorry it took so long to update. I actually had this chapter finished last week, but I had been waiting for SOMEONE to get his head out of his butt and fix his end of the DocX link  
><strong>

**Enjoy**

"Spyro! Spyro, open your eyes! Wake up!"

Spyro's head was in serious pain. It felt like his brain was seriously going to split apart. Yet it seemed to ebb off thanks to the voice of one of the people he cared for most in this world. With difficulty, he opened his eyes a crack and saw the blurred outline of his love: Cynder. She looked a little different, but he couldn't tell if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not.

"Cynder?" he asked. "What happen? Where are we?"

"I don't know?" Cynder said. "It's all a blur. The last thing I can remember was you forming some sort of light around us, but I can't remember much after that".

Spyro shakily got to his feet and tried to recall what had happened before he woke up. The last thing he could really remember was using that time fury back at the Mountain of Shadows, but after that nothing else came up. He sighed and did a head count and noticed that there were two people missing.

"Where are Sparx and Johnny?" he asked.

"Johnny's over there," Cynder said. "I've tried to wake him up, but he seems out cold. As for Sparx, I don't really care".

Looking over Cynder's shoulder, Spyro saw the unconscious form of Johnny sprawled out on the ground. The first thing he noticed was that he had definitely changed, as the shirt, shorts and shoes seemed to be about a size and a half too small for him. His hair seemed to have grown a lot, as it now obscured his whole head. Spyro let out a sigh as he got up on his feet.

"Do you know what's going on?" Cynder asked.

"I don't know," Spyro said. "Johnny's the only one who could get a clear read on any situation. Besides, my head's pounding".

"Wait… that's not your head," Cynder moaned. "I hear it too".

Cynder was right: the noise they were hearing wasn't the effect of a headache, but some sort of garbled cheering. Worried, they could only watch as one by one, torches began to light up.

"What's going on?" Cynder asked.

"I don't know." Spyro said before turning towards no particular direction. "Sparx? Are you doing this?"

Yet there was no sign of their dragonfly friend anywhere. Instead, as visibility improved, large groups of what appeared to be short, moss covered creatures lining the outermost walls of what appeared to be an arena.

"For once I wish it was," Cynder half-heartedly laughed.

The creatures were apparently cheering. But for what purpose neither of them could figure out.

"What are those things doing?" Cynder asked.

"I don't know, but I don't want to stick around and find out," Spyro said. "Come on; let's get out of here before something happens".

Spyro quickly propped the unconscious human on his back and followed Cynder as she prepared to go to the air. However, he just barely caught up with her when a strange pressure on his neck pulled him back, causing Johnny to slide off his back and onto the ground.

"Ugh, what is going on?" Cynder said, obviously having the same problems that Spyro was.

Looking at his neck, Spyro saw a strange, snake-like contraption had locked itself around his throat and was sending a thin beam of green light toward a stone restraint at the center of the arena. To make matters worse, both Cynder and Johnny had the same device wrapped around their necks, making him think it was some sort of shackle keeping them chained to the arena.

"Oh, this can't be good," both dragons muttered.

Unfortunately they didn't seem to have the time to worry about this. One of the larger creatures, who from its appearance seemed to be the leader, yelled at the others in that same garbled language they heard earlier. The next thing they knew, several of the creatures disappeared inside the ground, reappearing moments later swarmed around them.

"Ugh, just once, I'd like to meet people without it turning into a catastrophe," Cynder groaned.

"Don't worry, Cynder," Spyro said. "We'll be able to get out of this".

Yet again, they didn't have time to focus on what they were doing. The creatures immediately went on the attack and began pulling out earthly weapons of some sort. The majority of these creatures went after Johnny as he was the only one not conscious and therefore unable to properly defend himself against them. Instinctively, the two dragons rushed over and began defending their friend.

If it wasn't for more of these creatures constantly coming in and replacing their fallen brethren, Spyro and Cynder could say that things were going pretty well. Sadly, it appeared that this wasn't the case. Every time they struck a wave down, another wave would swoop in and take its place. Luckily, being stuck in the time crystal to have done something to have strengthened them up during whatever amount of time they were stuck in there. Spyro appeared to have gotten a fair bit stronger than he remembered. Not only was he able to destroy these creatures with fewer moves, but the sporadic attacks that the creatures did get in didn't seem to hurt him as much as they use to. Cynder, meanwhile, seemed to have become much faster than she though. This allowed her to deal with multiple enemies at once and keep them off balanced when they attacked her.

Yet, as Ignitus had certainly showed them, there was always a limit. Thanks to the endless waves that seemed to keep on appearing, they started to tire out quickly from all the fighting they had to do. On top of that, their snake-like restraints were making it extremely difficult to move around as much as they wanted to, which seemed to tire them out even more. Eventually, they got to the point where they could hardly keep going and began backing up. The creatures, sensing their weakness, began closing in on them and boxed them in near the edge.

"What do we do now, Spyro?" Cynder asked.

"We have to get that restrain off," Spyro said. "It's the only way we'll be able to get out of here".

"Assuming of course we can get past these guys that is," Cynder said.

"We'll have to use our full power to get past them," Spyro said.

He ran forward and went to use one of his breathe abilities on the creatures. At least that was the general idea of what he was trying to do anyway. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be happening, no matter how hard he tried. Cynder seemed to be suffering the same fate when she went to try. The creatures, taken aback by what was going on, resumed chasing them toward the edge.

"Oh no… not again," Spyro said. "How could this be happening?"

"It has to be the crystal," Cynder said. "It must have taken so much of our strength that it's keeping us from using our elements. How are going to get through now?"

No sooner than she had said that, the arena they were standing on started shaking. The creatures quickly dove into the ground and vanished from sight. Spyro and Cynder just stood there, confusion across their faces as they tried to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, a large clawed hand grabbed the side of the arena the dragons were looking at. Stunned, they could only watch as what appeared to be a giant molten lizard pulled itself up. It let out a piercing roar that seemed to fill the whole area, driving away the rest of the creatures that were still sticking around. Luckily, it didn't seem to notice the two dragons right away.

"Now's our chance," Spyro said.

Moving quickly, the two of them managed to get to the restraint and try to break it off the mantle it was on. However, it seemed to be a lot heavier than what they were expecting. It was so heavy that by the time they managed to pry it off, the lizard had already got them in its sights. It immediately began swatting at them with those giant claws of his, forcing them to jump out of the way several times. Then, to their surprise, it stopped the attacks and rested its claw right on the edge of the arena.

"Go for the claw," Cynder said.

However, that was easier said than done. As soon as they started running toward it, the same strange pressure they felt when they tried to escape yanked them back. When they looked back to their necks, they saw that their snake-like shackles had not disappeared when the restraint was taken off but had now joined the two of them and Johnny to the same beam of light. It was clear that the lizard was using its claw as bait to slow them up and back them towards the edge again.

"This chain is slowing us down Cynder," Spyro said. "We won't be able to get it off until we get out of here".

"I know," Cynder said. "We'll need to move in unison if we'll want to survive this".

Unfortunately, the lizard didn't seem to be willing to give them the chance. It kept blocking their movements with its claw every time they tried to move somewhere. At the same time, Johnny's still unconscious body had been turned into an effective counterweight, effectively limiting how far they could go. Eventually, they ended up right at the edge of the arena, unable to get out of the way as the lizard raised its claw to finally strike them down.

"So, I guess this is it, huh?" Cynder asked.

"I guess so," Spyro said. "Cynder, before we die, I just want you to know that I will always love you".

"Me too, Spyro," Cynder said. "I just wish that we could have met under better-!"

"WHOA!" an extremely startled voice said out of nowhere.

Before either of them knew what was going on, the two dragons were yanked off the arena just as the lizard brought its claw down. Taking a few moments to right themselves out, they saw a now conscious and extremely stunned Johnny stare at the lizard with a mixture of horror and confusion laced on his face.

"Easy," Spyro said. "We're in a bit of a situation right now".

"Did I miss something?" Johnny asked.

Suddenly, the lizard seemed to let out a roar of pain. Looking up, the trio saw that one of its eyes seemed to be emitting some sort of black smoke. However, they had to get out of the way as it began thrashing around, knocking several objects over before losing its footing on whatever it was standing on and fell into the abyss that was surrounding the arena.

Hesitantly, they touched down on the arena on the arena and began surveying their surroundings. There seemed to be no real damage done to the structure of the place. Moreover, the lizard seemed to have scared off the remained of the smaller creatures that had been there. With a sigh of relieve, they calmed down their nerves and began regaining their composure.

"That was too close," Cynder said.

"You can say that again," Johnny said. "Where are we anyway?"

"I don't know," Spyro said. "We were having that same discussion right before we were attacked".

"Well, wherever we are, I don't think we should stay here for much longer," Johnny said.

"Hey, Spyro!" a new and annoyingly familiar voice shouted. "Man, I didn't think I'd see you again!"

Turning around, they saw a ball of golden light racing toward them. On closer inspection, the light was actually coming from Sparx, Spyro's adoptive brother and the only person they knew that would blurt out the obvious at this particular moment. While Spyro was happy to see him, both Cynder and Johnny shared matching looks of annoyance that he was there.

"Sparx!" Spyro yelled. "It's good to see you too. Are you all right?"

"Are you kidding?" Sparx laughed. "You know me. Little stiff, constant bulls-eye, but I'm good".

"Hey, this reunion is touching and everything, but shouldn't we be getting out of here?" Cynder asked.

"You got that right," Johnny said. "I don't know about you guys, but I do not want to wait for that thing to crawl back up here".

"Yeah well, I didn't ask for your opinion on the matter," Sparx said. "Let's just go, you guys. Our guide doesn't want to waste too much time here".

Confused, the three of them looked at the only available exit. What appeared to be a bipedal cheetah wearing a red cloak and robe and was carrying a bow in hand and had a quiver full of arrows slung over his back. While they've never seen him before, the three have this weird sense of déjà vu about him.

"Who is he?" Spyro asked.

"You got me," Sparx said. "The guy hardly spoke much. The only thing he ever told me was, 'Shh. You're making too much nose'".

"I like him already," Cynder said.

Groaning over what Cynder said, Sparx flew over to where the cheetah was. Once the trio finally got their composure, they flew over as well.

"Spyro, Cynder, Johnny, are you all right?" the cheetah asked. "Anything broken?"

"A little shaken up but nothing too serious," Spyro said. "Thanks for getting rid of that thing".

"You can say that again," Johnny said. "A few more moments and we would have been lizard chow".

"I am relieved," the cheetah said. "I feared I might not get to you in time. My name is Hunter".

"Hunter… you've been looking for us haven't you?" Spyro asked.

"For far too long, my friend," Hunter said. "When you didn't return to the Temple, your father, Ignitus, asked me to look for you. That was nearly three years ago".

"What?" Spyro gawked. "Three years? But- that can't be right".

"Yes, I know this seem shocking to you," Hunter said. "Forgive me for the brevity of my explanation, but this is not the place to account for missing time".

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there, big guy," Sparx said. "We appreciate you saving us and all, but who said we'd be following you after that".

As if right on cue, a straight punch from a certain superpowered human sent the dragonfly hurtling several yards down the hall. Hunter just stared at Johnny, obviously unsure as to what happened.

"Oh, don't mind that," Cynder said. "It's just the customary reaction to whenever Sparx says or does something that gets on his nerves".

"Hmm… I see," Hunter said.

Suddenly, the wall right above the doorway they just went through gave out. The trio barely had time to jump out of the way in time. When they got back up, the door to the arena was completely covered in rocks.

"We are not safe here," Hunter said. "We have to get back to the surface".

"I was just thinking the same thing," Johnny said.

With that the trio followed Hunter down the corridor. Sparx, after taking a minute to recover, followed after then.

**Wow... they haven't been back for five seconds and everything's already gone to port**

**Again, sorry for taking too long to update this. I'll try to get the rest of the chapter's in much faster**

**As usual, R&R plz**

**NITRO PSYCHO OUT!**


	3. a Different Kind of How To Manual

**What up peoplezez**

**Man this took a long time to make. You would not believe how much torture it was to find the right balance of dialogue that still fit the original plotline while working on getting a college degree. But I digress**

**Enjoy**

The walk through the ruins of the Mountain of Shadows was too creepy for Johnny's taste. Every hallway they turned down had the sense that something was going to jump out and attack them some time soon. On top of that, he felt strangely drained for some reason. Every time he moved, it felt as if more of his energy was being burned off. Hunter wasn't exactly helping ease the tension. Ever since he started leading them out of there, he had been silent about what was going on. Faced with the increase of suspense he was getting as well as the lack of respect he felt he was receiving, Johnny had only one thing to do that could relieve some of the tension he was in: try to get some sort of explanation out of Spyro and Cynder about what was going on.

"Ok, so let me see if I've got this straight," he said. "The two of you woke up in some sort of arena but had no idea what was going on or how we even got there in the first place. Then some sort of… moving rock creatures started appearing out of nowhere with the intent of taking us out. After managing to fight your way through them, that giant lizard thing shows up and tries to squish us, and at that point I came too, freaked out, and Hunter saves our butts. Is that the story of what's happening in its full entirety?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Spyro said.

"Right... why do I hang out with you guys again?" Johnny asked.

"Quiet," Hunter hissed. "We don't want anything taking us by surprise".

"Sheesh, what a buzz-kill this guy's turning out to be," Sparx moaned.

"For once, we agree on something," Johnny said.

They continued on in silence from that point. This made Johnny even more on edge about the place. He was even surer that something was going to happen at some point and, given the track record of the events that have happened since he first arrived in that universe, that was a no brainer. The feeling of unease about the place increased when they arrived at what appeared to be a series of platforms arranged in a straight line over an expanse of the abyss they saw back at the arena.

"We have to get across before that creature finds us," Hunter said.

Without so much as waiting for the others, Hunter began jumping across the platforms, pausing only to regain his footing on a platform that wasn't entirely stable. Once he got to the other side, he pulled out his bow and fitted an arrow in, preparing to back up his new friends in case something came up.

"Uh, I think you guys had better go first," Sparx said. "It's safer… for me… safer for me I mean".

"Quiet," Cynder hissed. "Do you want to give us away?"

"Okay, okay," Sparx said. "It's not my fault I'm the small guy of the group".

"Uh, yeah it is, Sparx," Johnny said. "Seriously, if you fought as much as you talked, we probably wouldn't have to bail you out as much as we do".

Without bothering to wait for the dragonfly to respond, Johnny led Spyro and Cynder across the platforms. However just as they were close to the end, the giant lizard appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the platform they were standing on and forcing Hunter to retreat to the other side of the doorway. Instinctively, Johnny grabbed on to a clump of vines that were growing on the marble floor preventing them from being thrown into the air. Unable to shake them off of the platform, the lizard slammed the platform into an opening above the doorway. Fortunately, the only thing it did was pretty much catapult them all the way through and sealing the lizard away from them.

Slowly managing to regain their composure, the group heard the lizard try and fail to get through the rubble it had caused. They then heard it sink back down into the abyss. With a sigh, they shook off the dirt from their rough landing and began making their way down the hallway they were in.

"Is it just me, or are these creatures a lot smarter than the apes?" Cynder asked.

"I know," Spyro said. "Something tells me we're going to be seeing a lot more of these guys in the future. What's your take on all of this, Johnny?"

"At this point, all I care about is getting out of here before anything else happens," Johnny said. "If those things keep popping out like that, then finding out what those things are will be the least of our worries".

Johnny immediately began walking faster down the hallway they were in. Spyro and Cynder, after a brief hesitation, immediately followed behind him. However, what was bothering them right now was the subtle changes in their friend's attitude since they had regained consciousness. Instead of providing better levity for the situation than Sparx ever could, Johnny had been more focused on getting out of the catacombs. This didn't sit well for either dragon as they made their way down the seemingly empty halls.

"Uh… are you all right, Johnny?" Cynder asked. "You haven't been talking much since we got out of the crystal".

"I'm fine, Cynder," Johnny said. "I'm just a little shaken up from what's been happening".

"Are you sure?" Spyro asked. "Usually it takes a lot more for you to get spooked about something".

"Can we just not talk about it right now, guys?" Johnny asked. "Seriously, this place is creepy enough without you guys asking whether or not I'm freaked out about it".

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other and decided not to press the matter further. When they get to the end of the hallway, the first thing they saw was a partially destroyed room that had a cluster of Spirit Gems in the center. All three of them gave a collective sigh of relief before they flew down toward it. When they got down, they saw a heartening sight in Hunter climbing up through the broken wall with Sparx right on his heels.

"Is everyone all right?" Hunter asked.

"I think so," Johnny said. "I'll feel a lot bet once I get my strength back".

Hunter nodded and just stood where he was. The trio began making their way toward the crystal so that they could get their strength and powers back.

"You might wanna step back for this," Sparx said. "First timers might get creeped out by this".

"It is fascinating how their kind is able to draw power from the crystals," Hunter said. "Dragons are truly remarkable".

"Yeah, you say that now, until one tries to kill you," Sparx said. "And by one, I mean them".

Both Cynder and Johnny shot matching glares right at the dragonfly. Sparx, to his credit, didn't back off at this sight. It had been long known that Sparx and Johnny had a longstanding problem with each other, and despite how much he had warmed up to her when they weren't frozen, he still felt that Cynder was still on the side of the Dark Master, no matter how much she reformed.

"I am aware of Cynder's past as well as your history with Johnny," Hunter said. "But Ignitus trusts them. That's good enough for me".

Cynder smirked as she watched the dragonfly slouch off. Satisfied that Sparx wouldn't get in the way, she, along with Spyro, placed their front paws on one of the smaller crystals. Johnny however had no earthly idea what was going.

"Uh, what's going on here?" Johnny asked.

"Just touch the crystal," Cynder said.

Hesitantly, Johnny stuck out his hand and touched the same crystal Spyro and Cynder were touching. Almost immediately, they were nearly blinded by a bright light as several of the gem pieces began floating in the air. The three of them just stood there and watched as the shadow of a dragon began to materialize inside the crystals.

"Spyro, Cynder, as you are well aware by now, you can wield many abilities that others cannot," the dragon said. "It is time to reawaken those powers within you. Johnny, while you may still be getting used to your powers, your heart has always been in the right place. Follow your instincts and you will find peace with yourself".

With that, the shadow seemed to vanish inside the crystal. Almost immediately, the floating crystals broke into smaller bits and went into their bodies, re-energizing them on contact.

"That was the Chronicler?" Johnny asked. "What a weirdo".

"You know, I haven't called him on it, but I've often wonder the exact same thing," Cynder said.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to dwell on that. At that moment, the same rock-like creatures that had attacked Spyro and Cynder earlier started popping up out of the ground and had immediately surrounded the group.

"Grublins!" Hunter shouted. "Be on your guard!"

"Grublins?" Johnny asked. "What kind of lame-o name is that?"

As glad as they were to hear the first sign of Johnny's return to his old attitude, they had to focus on getting rid of the enemies. Deciding it was time to make sure their powers were working this time, Spyro, Cynder, and Johnny began fighting off the Grublins while Hunter jumped on a nearby ledge and started shooting arrows at them. Fortunately, they seemed to have gotten their powers back, making it easier to deal with them. The only real problem was that they seemed to be coming from everywhere, making it that much harder for them to keep up with how many were there.

While Spyro and Cynder were doing their best to fight off the creatures, it was Johnny that really took control of the fight. As a group of so-called Grublins charged right at him, he delivered a roundhouse kick that took them all out at once. He then shot an energy ball at a pair that was trying to sneak up on Hunter. This continued for a while, along with everyone else's attempts to repel their attackers, until the Grublins began to gang up on him. Then the weirdest thing happened. As he was being backed into a corner, several streamers of light formed around him. Quickly noticing this, Johnny pointed at a random chunk of Grublins that were surrounding him. Immediately, the streamers shot at his attackers, exploding on contact and blowing them out of the way.

Liking what he saw, Johnny used his new ability to good use, attacking the remaining Grublins that were still there. In no time at all, the waves of enemies stopped coming, allowing them to catch their breath.

"What was that all about?" Sparx asked. "Since when could make all those bright whip things Johnny?"

"I don't know but they were kinda cool," Johnny said. "I think I'll keep them".

"We don't have time for banter," Hunter said. "Those things could be back at any moment and we need to get moving".

"Man, I'm liking this guy less and less." Johnny muttered as they left the room.

"You ain't the only one," Sparx said.

**Well, business has definitely picked up**

**I'd like to say sorry in advance to those who don't like Johnny's feelings toward Hunter. Hunter has always been my least favorite of all the Spyro characters simply because of the lack of balance each incarnation was. In the originals, he was likable but didn't seem to have the raw ability to back it up while in the legend series he had the ability but was a bit of a doughnut hole, though to be fair, legend Hunter was a lot smarter than his original version.**

**Regardless, I'd like to point out that I won't be adding the Elites or the Armor chests. Trust me; it's just too much stuff to keep track of**

**R&R plz**

**NITRO PSYCHO OUT!**


	4. AN

**What up peoplezez  
><strong>

**I'm gonna have to put this story on hiatus for now. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I'm having a hard time figuring out where to go with this. I'll try to get the story running again as soon as possible but at this point, I'm not making any promises.\**

**I do not expect, nor do I want, any reviews for this. This notice is just to let you know what's going on**


End file.
